Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-02-10
The Ironing Table.

Irons that have once been red hot,
never retain the heat so well afterward,
and will always be rough; therefore,
while losing no opportunity of using
your fire, be careful not to put them on
the stove hours before they are needed;
and after using them, do not Sc; them
away fat on the floor or shelf, always
stand them on end. When it is posi-
bic, have every really useful modern ap-
pliance, Of which there are so many
nowadays, TO make work easy. To
the woman who has no assistance in
her work, even a small expense may be
looked upon as economy, if it saves
strength; that unpurchasable thing of
which young women are often so prodi-
gal. know, however, there are homes
where true economy is recognized, and
where q few dollars would not be
grudged to tighten the wife's burden,
yet if the dollars are not there how can
it be doneP Let us hope then, at least,
the husband is handy with tools, and
can make some things he cannot buy.
That he can put shelf just where she
needs it, to save her holding q lamp.
while she cooks the winter supper, and
if he can make an ironing table which
shall hold the necessaries for ironing,
and when not in use form seat, so
much the better, but one thing not diff
ficult to make, and which will save
many weary backache, is seat ex-
actly suited to the height of the woman
needing it All small things can Just
as well be ironed seated as standing,
if the seat be right.
Many tired woman takes a chair
and makes up her mind she will iron
the collars and small things, seated, but
the resolution lasts only moment, she
is soon on her aching feet again, and
then she believes she is too nervous to
work in sitting position. 1t is nothing
of the kind, the seat is not adapted to
the height of the table, and she really
finds herself working at such disadvan-
tage for her arms, that mechanically
she assumes the old position. Let seat
and table be adjusted to her, and she
will soon find ironing or making cake,
or rolling out cookies quite as easily ac-
complished in sitting as standing. The
seat must be high enough to bring her
elbows well above the table, and give
her the same command of it as if sine
were standing, and with this seat she
would of course require a stool or box
on which to rest the feet.
Such seat will be of little use in
cooking, without forethought to see that
you have all your materials at hand be-
tO I In
an energetic woman with abundant
strength will say, 'oh, would not sit
to work" and feel that it was poor
way of doing. But there are women
less strong, perhaps who have lost the
strength on which they once prided
themselves, and will just as readily say:
'lf l only could manage to sit"
At first, it may seem that you have to
jump up and down so often that you
save little, but by degrees you will find
the benefit, even if you only are enabled
to sit five minutes out of twenty that
you would otherwise stand, and as you
get used to the sitting, you will be as
tonished to find how many things you
can do sitting, and how little the jump
ing up that appeared so tiresome ut
first will be needed when you have got
ten used to providing against it. Many
things we now stand to do, as / say,
may be done seated, but l began to
speak especially of ironing.
Most people, nowadays, use the skirt
board for ironing everything. 1t should
be covered with three thicknesses of
heavy flannel an old blanket is best,
but comfortable can be made to do;
over this securely baste part of an old
sheet, or any white cotton cloth without
seams, you may prefer for the purpose.
The bosom board should be covered in
the same way, and the covers of both
frequently changed.-Catherine Owen,
sn Good Housekeeping. Holyoke, Mass.